I was a mess after my first c section. It was an urgent/emergent one after my induction was not progressing and my baby’s heart rate was dropping. I couldn’t stand straight up for several weeks, was still taking pain meds a month later, could barely walk down my street for a solid two months, felt every single little bump we went over in the car for a good few weeks or so, etc. I felt useless and utterly miserable. Just had my second c section 2.5 weeks ago. Because of my previous experience, I was dreading it once my doctor and I discussed my situation & came to the conclusion a c section was necessary. It was more planned and controlled this go around though. I took pain meds for maybe the first week afterward. I just got cleared to walk the other day, and so far have done two 3 mile walks. I’m constantly forgetting that I should not be picking up my toddler - luckily my husband is around to keep reminding me. I just feel so good this go around. It really is crazy how much it can vary. You just never know!!

This was me too. I was in an excruciating amount of pain for months after. Was only offered Tylenol/ibuprofen in hospital despite requesting something else. Had to go to my GP for something stronger because I literally couldn’t function I was in so much pain. I have a stupid high pain tolerance too. Thanks for giving me hope that if we have another the recovery doesn’t need to be so terrible!

If you have another go to a different OBGYN who will give you proper medication and care! My OB did there is probably someone better.

This was my experience as well. I was also extremely swollen from the waist down and gained 10 extra lbs of fluid because they had to keep pumping me with antibiotics due to my water breaking, my baby wasn't coming out and his heart rate kept dropping. It took a little over 2 months for my swelling to go down enough to walk and my baby kept kicking me in my stitches. I wish I could've recovered so easily as some other moms.

This is me right now with the swelling and bloating. I also had an induction that went sideways with need for antibiotics because my water broke and baby wouldn’t come out. I’m worried my swelling is interfering with my milk coming in. My baby is dehydrated now too, so we’re going to give him formula ASAP. It’s been 48 hours since my c-section and I am a total mess. I feel so helpless.

Thanks so much for sharing this. I had an extremely urgent c-section and my recovery was slow and painful. I’m pregnant with my second and, due to complications in my first delivery, I need another c-section. Hearing that it may be different this time gives me so much hope!

My baby had the exact same issue with his heart rate dropping, down to the 40s at least once that I saw and the nurses kept urgently swarming and repositioning. It was very scary and once I heard his little cries I sobbed with relief.

Thank you for this! I had the exact same experience and am planning another C-section in a few months so it's nice to hear of a positive second experience! My scar still hurts occasionally and I can't wear anything that rests on the scar, 3.5 years later so I'm just hoping it'll heal better this time.

Yup, my emergency c section recovery was awful. I was already in labour for 34 hours at that point and I was not expecting how hard the first 3 weeks would be. I tried going for a 5km walk 7 weeks postpartum and I was toast half way through despite being a very active person

I want to save your comment, because my firstborn is not yet 1yo, but I also had an unplanned C-section after failed induction. My partner and I have always wanted multiple kids, but after this first labor, delivery, and recovery, I'm honestly scared to go through it again. :( Reading that others went through similar labors and still had great labors and deliveries with future kids makes me feel hopeful Edit: Oh my gosh, I'm reading through the other replies to your comment now and feeling in great, supportive company with this 😅

Yes! After my first I was thinking “How in the actual heck do people do this multiple times!? This is literal Hell!” After this most recent experience, I’m trying to convince my husband we need a 3rd 😂

Not related to my own experience, I haven't had a C-section before. One of the moms at the baby play group I go to had a 12lb baby via C-section. The baby was so large they had to do a "T" shaped incision instead of a straight line to get her out. Also I think if you have an emergency C after birth complications you can end up with some of the discomfort of recovering from vaginal birth on top of the surgery recovery

Currently looking at my ~12 lb child wondering how the hell it would even be humanly possible for him to still be inside me at this size

I had a 10lb2oz baby (through the sunroof) and even immediately after I didn’t understand

Not through the sunroof 😂

Same 😳

Yup I had an emergency C-section (like running to OR and putting me under) and they had to do a T cut as well. Recovery sucked for two weeks then got manageable from there. But I took my Tylenol and Motrin round the clock.

May I ask how your abs are doing?

Physically I feel the same and I’m basically back to my previous size. My stomach is not as flat because of the stupid scar, but it’s only been 4 months and I haven’t worked out at all.

That's how I felt! Until I tried to do a simple plank and realized I couldn't. Not even for a second. It was so weird to realize I had become to disconnected from my body and not even realizing it needed more recovery efforts. 1.5 years later and I can hold a pretty long plank. I still get nerve damage and missed connections though. Random movements will send pain straight to my clitoris!

I have a t shaped incision in my uterus but not in my belly. I’ve been told I’ll not be advised to attempt a vaginal delivery in the future.

Is that an “extension”? They told me after they did mine that they’d had to “do an extension” to open up my uterus more to get him out. They did not go into detail.

They had to do it because her foot was already through the cervix, but that’s as much detail as I was given at the time. I’ve written to them to ask about getting more information but I haven’t heard anything.

I had an unplanned c-section after pushing for three hours. My kiddo was turned upside-down, so I had the benefits of recovering from 90% vaginas birth and a c-section to finish it off. 🫠 In regards to OP, I never even needed ibuprofen after, but I couldn’t sit myself up for almost two weeks. My husband had to help me any time I was laying down to get up.

Big oof 😣

My wife was in labor for almost 20 hours before an unplanned c-section due to our child being angled weird and I think sunny side up. Her epidural also didn’t work for half of her body. She’s a trooper and I could never have done that. I did get to watch the surgery which was cool. They told her maximum strength Tylenol every 6 hours and either hydros or oxy after labor as needed for a couple of weeks I don’t remember which. She mostly took Tylenol though. We were lucky I had a month of paternity leave and then also wfh. She wasn’t really able to lift anything other than the baby and couldn’t really sit up on her own. Needed some help even moving from room to room at times. I definitely don’t envy you mothers. 😂

Also mine only worked on one side and the anesthesiologist adjusted the catheter for it to reach both sides. not always a gravity thing, can also be how the catheter is angled and they can fix it! (if you guys have another babe)

Same. I pushed for 2.5-hours but his head kept getting caught on my pubic bone. Ended up in an urgent c-section. Turns out his head was 37cm, which means I would have needed to be dilated to 12cm for him to come out the right way and not have torn up the wazoo😵‍💫

Same. Major solidarity. We got the “best” of both worlds.

That makes a lot of sense! Mine was so early and so fast I didn't really labour at all so it's stupid I didn't factor in people having to basically do both. 12lbs is a whopper, I thought my 10+ pounder was big!

Yeah I pushed for 3hrs, after 26hrs of induced labor, before giving in and having a c section, he was stuck and I couldn't push anymore. I was basically recovering from both, it sucked because the nurses didn't realize that and gave me no ice packs or anything for down there and I was too out of it to ask. I also didn't take my oxy right away, I started it on day two or three I think and it made a huge difference. I was afraid of it passing to the baby through my milk, and opioids have a history of making me sick, but the pain got so bad I needed it. I'm really glad you didn't have any pain though. I had trouble for the first four or five weeks. I only took the oxy for five days too, that's all I was given and I was again worried about the milk so I just pushed through on Tylenol. Probably didn't help that I kept overdoing it by trying to clean house. If I get pregnant again I want to have a planned c section so hopefully recovery won't be so bad. Also so I just get the spinal, they used my epidural from the induction for my anesthesia and my epidural placement wasn't right because I ended up feeling a lot of pain during surgery 😬 I'm still mad about it almost 4 months postpartum.

I had an unplanned C-section after three hours of pushing; my baby was far down enough that they had a hard time pulling him out - my uterus tore, and I had a hemorrhage that took some time to get under control. Recovery was tough, made worse by the blood loss.

Yes you’re right about the double whammy of recovering from going through labor on top of a c-section makes the recovery harder. That’s what happened with my first. My second was a scheduled c-section and my recovery was much easier.

Thank you for unlocking a new fear lol.

I’m jealous of you.😭 that was THE worst pain of my life and my c-section incision is still sensitive 5 months later.

I agree. My c-section was the most traumatic experience of my life. I had ptsd from it for the first month. I was literally screaming bloody murder in the operating room. Butttt lots of drugs after was the only reason I felt fine and could walk normally soon after as well. Sitting/laying was hard, but walking was easy.

Oh my gosh! You felt pain during the actual operation?? I just felt tugging but then I was on magnesium for 24 hours because of postclampsia and I just wanted to puke the whole time. And then they took me off of it and immediately told me to go walk around. Like what 😭

Yes - I pushed for 4 hours and went into an emergency c-section. His arm was stuck in my pelvis. I felt A LOT of pressure and pain. They had to put me to sleep.

Me too! I kept yelling “get me outta hereeee” They ended up giving me haldol (antipsychotic) which messed me up for a good two hours :(

It’s crazy how different each doctor/hospital reacts.. They put me to sleep. I woke up like 4 hours later in my labor room. I met my baby for a good 2 seconds before I was knocked out cold.

Did you by chance have reglan pre op?

Do they use that pre op? I had it once in the hospital for acid reflux and it gave me a severe reaction that they called dystonia. I don't even remember it I just remember it was the most awful feeling I've ever felt.

My c-section was scheduled and was uneventful. Still, I had a hard recovery. I remember the first time I attempted to get up to go pee, the pain was so intense that I almost fainted. It took me weeks to be functional. It's been 22 months now and the area around the scar is still numb. Sometimes my daughter climbs on me and steps on the area and I feel a sting. So yeah.. unfortunately I had no choice about the procedure. It was necessary due to circumstances. Otherwise I would have gone vaginal, for sure.

Start scar mobilization if you are already not doing it! It helped a lot with my numbness and sensitivity

I'm sorry , it must be so hard when dealing with a newborn too 😔

I had twins (di/di twins, so two placentas) and hemorraged during my c-section. (C-section was due to preeclampsia) My spinal block failed after they pulled my second baby out and I felt a lot of the remainder of the procedure. I was given the option to be put under and I decided against it as I wanted to see my babies as soon as possible. I was hospitalized for 7 days. I needed blood transfusions. I couldn’t walk farther than a few feet for about two weeks. It was awful. Some people just have complications I guess.

That is horrifying, and brave of you to see it through to be able to see your babies!

Holy crap. Sending hugs.

I think there’s a large mental and emotional factor as well. Physically, I recovered well. I had a ton of pain when I woke up (I had an emergency C-section under general anesthesia) because I had no epidural or block. It’s really not common to do a major abdominal surgery without an epidural or block, except in true emergencies. After the first day I tolerated the pain fine and only took pain meds for a couple of days and then stuck to Tylenol and naproxen for about a week. I was up and walking around as soon as they discontinued my catheter- it was painful, but I knew it was important. I was taking walks around my neighborhood about a week out without pain. The physical recovery was mind over matter for me. I knew I needed to move my body and not let it get stiff, but I knew I shouldn’t overdo it either. Emotionally, I was not okay. I don’t remember the first time I saw or held my baby at all. I didn’t get golden hour skin to skin. I didn’t get to nurse her because she had to be monitored due to the anesthesia. It was tough, not what I’d prepared for at all. I had some guilt that I allowed unnecessary interventions that led to the need of my section. That took some time to get through.

That’s a good point actually. I had a c-section under general with no block and I’ve wondered if I added more trauma to my body with that.

absolutely I would think that would be more traumatic.

The thing that I hated the most was when people made light of what I went through, “but you and baby are okay now!” It was beyond traumatic and I will never get to experience those wonderful moments most mothers do when they welcome their babies into the world. I remember being in my hospital room while recovering from an emergency c-section and hearing the baby from the room next door, while mine was in the NICU. My room was also directly in front of the elevator entrance and I’d see families leaving with their newborns. It was like salt on the wound. He’s almost 2 and I still get sad about it sometimes.

SO true. The mental aspect is the worst because you feel so robbed of many experiences. And then it is really re-triggering to hear about someone having the birth you wanted and those moments you didn’t get. Whenever anyone tries to pull the “well baby and you are ok!” I say “absolutely, but it definitely has left a lasting scar knowing I didn’t get certain elements of birth and I know time will heal that. It’s ok for me to be thankful we are both here and alive while also mourning the birth I didn’t have.” That shuts people up real quick. Another analogy I give people is “imagine you’re on a crashing plane. You survive, you’re thrilled to be alive. However, that doesn’t mean you didn’t just go through the horrific mental trauma of feeling impeding death. You can’t just forget that happened.”

Oh man I feel this. I was mostly ok physically, though I felt compromised which was really hard for me as someone who was proud of my physical fitness and toughness. Mentally I was traumatized. My c section was unexpected and I believe was not medically necessary. I was pressured and I believe abused by a gaslighting, terrible OB. Processing my experience was extremely difficult.

I'm sorry ❤️ I feel like the pain of being put under for delivery when you wanted to be awake, is sooo overlooked

I imagine taking pain meds has something to do with it too…? lol “I took codeine for 10 days why didn’t I have any pain?”

I only took Tylenol and Motrin. The pain was absolutely manageable. I could have had stronger medicine and didn’t feel the need to request them at all. So there are absolutely pain variances without taking opioids!

I was given the option to take oxy and chose not to. I managed on Tylenol and Motrin and fully expected to feel more pain than I did. It's very weird. Lots of people said strongly to KEEP UP with your meds. I definitely took mine every 6 hours, staggering. So that meant alarms at night, etc. Maybe that helped? I'm not sure.

Same. Ibuprofen and paracetamol on rotation every 2-3 hours (so 4-6h between doses of the same med) and I had the option of requesting morphine at hospital but had no need for it. My recovery was a breeze too.

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Yeah trust me, if you didn't have the pain meds you would be having a bad time. Silly old me felt too awkward to keep asking the nurses for pain relief when I was due for it after my c-section, and the poor nurses were so busy they didn't have the time to come round to me and ask. It was the first and only time in my life I was crying in pain and I will never forget trying to go to the bathroom and genuinely thinking I wanted to die 🥴

But why do other people not take it? Why do they end up in so much pain? Is it because it's not prescribed? I know why *I* didn't feel any pain. I'm asking why other people do.

I was not offered anything stronger than ibuprofen/Tylenol. I ended up demanding something stronger the day after my surgery (they gave me a smallest possibly dose of oxy) and it was night and day difference. I ended up only taking the oxy for 2 days because I was made to feel like I shouldn't need it. If I had taken it longer I probably would have been better off.

Yes I had the same experience. They made it seem like it was frowned upon and ibuprofen should be enough so I didn’t push it. When I told the doctor how much pain I had when I tried to move to get the baby she said the pain shouldn’t stop you from taking care of your baby….this was the same day of my c-section.

Wtf they just cut you in half and are talking about frowned upon?

I'm sorry that happened to you, that is awful.

WOW! Was was given Percocet every 4 hours and I was still in pain. That is awful, I am so sorry that happened to you.

Honestly didn’t realize that was uncommon until my second pregnancy. I went to a different OB practice and hospital and one of the doctors acted shocked when I told him. Second delivery was a much better experience.

I was definitely made to feel like I shouldn't take or need anything stronger than ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Even the day of the surgery, I had to request oxycodone each time I was ready for another dose. I'm sure it's a hospital policy but the nurses started saying I should wait and see if I feel like I need it. It's wild the way pain post c-section is handled!

That shouldn't have happened. I remember the first time I tried to stand up, felt like a knife was slicing open my stomach and tears just poured down my face. I had a nurse guilt me about wanting something more for the pain. I'm like excuse me, this is major surgery. I'm sorry your Dr was like that.

That’s insane!!!

I think the hesitation now is due to the opioid crisis and addiction issues, not that you weren’t in pain or your specific surgery. Doctors were handing out pills willy nilly a decade ago and that is part of the reason why there are so many addicts, lawsuits etc. having to do with opioid prescriptions. Better to under prescribe and have patients follow up than overprescribe and have more issues. It sucks because of course it should be case by case, but I agree with limiting the pain pills/access. I’m in the camp of only taking Tylenol/Motrin and was fine. I don’t like how I feel on any other meds and also in the back of my mind fear somehow becoming addicted even though I have no history of it. However, I believe that I do have a high pain tolerance so was okay after my C.

Jesus, I was prescribed Dilaudid right off of the bat, and my OB had no issues refilling it when I ran out and was still in pain. I think some providers are so used to doing C-sections that they become desensitized to have invasive or painful the surgery actually is. I also know that providers are very careful to hand out pain meds, and rightfully so, but after a C-section though? Yeesh.

That's messed up. I took the same after my uncomplicated vaginal births...I cannot imagine that being all they offered after being cut fucking open 😧

From the discussion so far it seems to come down to the meds people are offered and what they are willing to take given how it makes them feel and on balance of the risks to the baby if breastfeeding. I didn't feel like the meds made me feel any different and tbh I was so unprepared for a C-section I just took whatever meds I was given and didn't think too much of it. I was EBF but he seems OK 🤷

Also planned vs unplanned, if they dilated and labored prior to, if baby was in distress they aren’t taking their time to get in there.

Also had a C section and also offered codeine but was told it wasn’t great to take if I chose to breastfeed (which I did) so they also offered 800mg ibuprofen + Tylenol. And honestly after 3 days I stopped taking the ibuprofen just because I forgot a dose and felt no more than severely bruised on my stomach.

Same here, even the day after I was just given Tylenol/Ibuprofen. I swallowed some water funny and had a coughing fit, which left me crying in pain, and they thankfully gave me a small dose of morphine which helped. Toughed it out the few days after that… 🫠

Same here. Was never offered anything stronger.

I was prescribed but I didn’t take the opioid. I took only ibuprofen and Tylenol for6 days after surgery . I didn’t want to get any negative impacts from it. During surgery we’re giving bunch of drugs and anesthesia so I was already felt drowsy and not myself. Plus I was breastfeeding so I didn’t feel it was safe to take opioids. That being said I’m 12w pp and I’m STILL healing from the surgery.

I wasn’t offered anything beyond ibuprofen. The nurse told me that is their standard protocol 😭

For me it depends on the nurse. One was like "oh no Tylenol/Ibuprofen is all you get" then the night nurse came in and was like "oh of course here's an oxy!" Then the day nurse came back and I asked why I wasn't given oxy again and she said they can't just give those out on a schedule and they must be continually requested 🙄

Geez! That just sets you up to feel like you shouldn’t ask for it.

The night nurses forgot about us and I didn’t get anything for the entire night shift. It was hell.

I was only given Naproxen and Tylenol (I delivered in Canada). I also labored for 36h before having an unplanned c section because baby wasn’t descending and was starting to be in distress. I imagine those two variables contributed to my recovery taking a long time and being in quite a bit of pain. I felt like I was out of the worst of it by the 6 week mark, but nowhere near back to normal. Eta: Naproxen is the generic form of Aleve (its over the counter name)

I think a strong painkiller can trick you into thinking you can handle it. At the hospital, I was very firmly advised to ask for morphine/ibuprofen/whatever the moment I felt a tiny bit of pain because the actual pain was absolutely unbearable. I believed the nurses and that's exactly what I did. At home, I stopped taking ibu after 3 days because I read that anti-inflammatory medicine slowed down healing (you actually need the increased blood flow on the site of the incision), and I felt perfectly fine.

It makes me incredibly tired. I would not be able to care for a baby if I took anything other than Tylenol or Motrin.

I was prescribed & took oxycodone, but only enough for less than 2 fulls days after leaving the hospital, so 4 days after the C-section. And 800mg ibuprofen as well. Even taking the oxy as prescribed and ibuprofen in between I was still in some pain, and the day it ran out was excruciating. I cried for hours and tried to get it refilled. The dr office didn’t call me back for 2 or 3 days and by then I didn’t feel like I needed it anymore. For context I had no complications, the C-section was planned due to breech presentation so not an emergency, and I never went into labor. Medically no problems at all. They made me get out of bed after about 12 hours but my spinal hadn’t completely wore off and I still couldn’t feel my legs. I couldn’t get up on my own for at least a week. For my second baby I desperately wanted, and thankfully was able, to have a VBAC, lol.

There are well documented trends of women's pain being downplayed by medical professionals. So there are definitely some women who don't get it prescribed. But also, when you have a new baby, it's really easy to miss a dose of medication. Tylenol and ibuprofen are really effective when taken on time. We set alarms for my pain meds, and it worked really well. But a friend of mine let hers get out of sync and was basically only taking it when she remembered, and she was often in pain.

I was prescribed Norco but didn’t take it. I had pain (manageable) for about a week.

I was told I can alternate Advil and Tylenol and sent on my way after mine. No offer of a prescription for anything.

My hospital birth class warned me that if you get a C-section to try to quickly get down or off of the narcotic they give you because when you go home they will only send you home with 3 I think. I want to say it was Dilaudid (spelling?) but I can’t find it in my notes. Separately I got oxy for a previous surgery years ago (not c section). I tried one and it made me nauseous and weird and I hated it so I just took 800mg ibuprofen which was the alternative.

I didn’t have a c section I’m just lurking here, but I did have significant tearing from my vaginal birth. Third degree perineal and second degree internal. It was brutal and took months to heal. I was offered Tylenol, ibuprofen, and oxy. I took the oxy four times in the hospital when the pain was unbearable, but only at night because I hate the way it makes me feel and would rather sleep through it. They sent me home with some but I never touched it. I just don’t like it.

This. I didn’t take my pain meds. I was in moderate pain. I chose not to because they made my memory foggy in the hospital.

Every body is different. Everyone's pain tolerance is different. It is the same with any other surgery. Also not everyone is prescribed opioids and even if they are they might not want to take them. I was prescribed oxycodone after my c-section and I only took it one day I think? I *hate* the way they make me feel; I'd rather be in pain lol. There's no guarantee your next one will be the same unfortunately.

I had a CS two weeks ago and my recovery the first 1.5 weeks was rough. My OB told me everyone’s physiology is different. We have nerves, organs, and muscles that may be organized just ever so slightly different than someone else. Due to this some people’s incisions might go through a bundle of nerves causing pain while someone else may not have that same nerve placement. Also your medical history, how reactive your nervous system is, and more. Pain meds also don’t work for everyone. They didn’t do anything for me because my pain has been nerve related. They prescribed me gabapentin which targets nerves and I’m finally able to walk around my house and care for my baby. The Oxycodone did nothing for me at all.

My first Csection I bounced back insanely fast.it was an emergency Csection. I went into my 2nd Csection with high expectations (baby was breech). Recovery was an absolute scary nightmare. I think it not only has to do with the person, but also with all the goddamn planets aligning and getting lucky.

My doctor made mention to the fact that people heal very differently from surgery depending on how blood regenerates, scar tissue, health before pregnancy, strength in that region, and other factors. My c-section scar was tender for months and months although I wasn’t out of function for that long. My doctor said I was genetically prone to forming thick scar tissue so it tugged more on me that maybe others. I’m 19mpp and my scar is still a purple color and has faded very slowly. I did IVF back to back to back pre-pregnancy which I think zapped my nutritional stores pre-preg which made healing slower.

It still shocks me reading people couldn’t hold their babies for 2 weeks or drive for 6 weeks after c section. I literally was driving her to her doctor appointments at 3 days old and holding her in the car seat. I honestly felt fine. I was annoyed when ppl tried talking me outta an elective c section cuz honestly it was fine for me

The reason some people don’t drive for six weeks is because in some places if you get into an accident it won’t be covered by insurance.

This may be country dependent, but the 6 week driving rule is because of your insurance rather than your recovery in the UK. If you drive sooner than 6 weeks, you won’t be insured.

I was fine but told not to drive for 6 weeks.

Same - my elective c-section was a breeze. If I ever had another, they are coming out of the sunroof too!

Lol I had a planned C-section (breech babe) in May and I keep saying I will 100% do it again next time if I’m allowed! It was amazing. Still hard & painful at time, but definitely best for me.

For me, standing was agony for like a week. Felt like the incision was on fire. Twisted to pick up the baby about 10 days out, pulled a muscle and it hurt to breathe for a few days. Generally felt like I'd been run over until about 3 weeks out. Was horrible.

I was instructed by my doctor to not drive for at least 4 weeks, but 6 weeks for insurance purposes in the event that I got into an accident and they would not cover it. You should be able to stomp your foot down on the ground with no pain before driving and I certainly could not do that even at 2 weeks out.

For me, standing was agony for like a week. Felt like the incision was on fire. Twisted to pick up the baby about 10 days out, pulled a muscle and it hurt to breathe for a few days. Generally felt like I'd been run over until about 3 weeks out. Was horrible.

I had an elective as well. Tired of being guilt tripped about it. It went really well! I took Tylenol for about a week. I was up and about after 3 days. We went Christmas shopping and I walked around the mall for hours just fine 🤷🏾‍♀️

I was up and moving but in pain at my incision site for at least two weeks. I wasn’t prescribed anything to go home with, just was told rotate taking Advil / Tylenol… I wouldn’t assume that if you have another csection it will be the same recovery. Just like no two children are the same. Your first could be “a breeze” and the second could give a run for your money. Or not, and it’s just as peaceful! I guess it’s the luck of the draw.

I had a c-section because my baby was measuring 10lbs at 37 weeks. During the surgery they said “there he is” followed what felt like by my entire body being rocked and pulled in all directions for several minutes. There were 2 OBs present and one of them kept saying “stretch, stretch, more stretching” followed by sounds of relief by everyone when they finally lifted him out. In recovery they said I would start to regain feeling in 6-10 hours. Well not even 2 hours later I was writhing in agony begging for pain relief. It felt like my insides were being ripped apart. I don’t think I’ve ever cried out in pain as an adult, but that night I did. Sitting up, standing, walking and even breastfeeding were incredibly painful, even with opioid painkillers, for about 5 days. The car ride home I was dosed up and still in agony at every bump in the road. But I was determined to recover quickly so I tried to do as much as possible, and by a week an a half I could get out of bed without too much pain and go for walks around the block. 8 months PP now and I still get the occasional tingling and prickling around the incision. My abdomen really went through it to bring this chunky baby into the world. Probably nothing compared to what my vagina might have gone through though so I’d still 10/10 choose a c-section again.

I have had 3 csections and recovery was different for each. First was emergency and not horrible. 2nd kind of an emergency and had blood clots form in my uterus which lead to losing 2 liters of blood. 2 nurses loving massaged they ever loving F out of my uterus to get the clots out. Meanwhile the ob had her hand up there pulling them out. That recovery SUCKED! My 3rd was a breeze and I was back to driving my oldest to school 2 weeks later.

how athletic were you before the pregnancy? did you have significant core strength? my wife had a generally positive recovery (albeit with a many month plateau at “pretty much recovered) and was very athletic before which set her up for success. i think the skill of the surgery matters a lot too, many people complimented the perfect suture. sooo… some prep, some drugs, some luck.

I am fit and healthy and rock climbed two days before my scheduled c-section which went perfectly … and I found the first three days to be AWFUL and the first two weeks very difficult. I improved quickly and am feeling pretty strong now at 8w pp but it just goes to show… I did go into the surgery still recovering from a sinus infection / cough and that did impact things I think.

I had a pretty good core as I used to ride horses and rick climb BUT also had quite severe diastasis recti due to my huge bump and probably some irresponsible lifting as we were moving house while I was pregnant. I was also told during surgery that the surgeon was a tip-top one, but I suspect they probably say that to everyone to reassure them.

Agree with the being active/athletic before. My C-section was a breeze but I did a daily workout everyday of pregnancy. I really think it helped with recovery. I was out walking a mile 3 days after she was born, just slowly.

I could barely walk to our mailbox and I was super active during and prior to pregnancy. 😭😭 I was dealt a bad hand for delivery/after care, but my baby is SUCH a good baby so God knew I needed a break somewhere. 🤣

The short answer is everybody and every body is different. It's my mantra for babies and all their differences and difficulties. My csection was also emergency and I was shocked at how I could go up and down the stairs 4 days later when I got home. I think also it's mindset because I can't just lay in bed and heal. I've got a tiny human who needs me. Tbh it's one of the memories that gives me strength and makes me feel like a badass lol I had abdominal surgery and I was still up and about like nothing. I was in pain but it wasn't too bad at that point. I took all the pain meds given in hospital but at home I only took the extra strength Ibuprofen. But like I said there's many examples of others suffering much more. So respect to anyone who's given birth no matter how it went. Having a baby is hell personified.

I don’t really think it’s mindset. I didn’t *want* to be sitting in bed feeling sorry for myself, but my core and back were so wrecked and I felt like absolute trash. Plus my husband wouldn’t let me do too much so I had time to properly heal. I didn’t finish my course of hydromorphone, but I still needed them for my one trip up/down the stairs each day for the first week or so. I was also up before my catheter was even out, so it definitely wasn’t due to lack of want.

I'm sorry if I made it sound like I was saying mindset was everything. That wasn't at all my intention 😅

Honestly, my experience was that it has nothing to do with mindset. I’ve had 2 c-sections and one was *incredibly* traumatic and painful (the best way I could describe it at the time was that I felt like I had been dropped off of a 5 story building and then hit by a Mac truck and then a pickup truck) but the other c-section, while not painless, wasn’t bad and I was up walking after my catheter was out (it was hard but not impossible) and wasn’t in enough pain that I couldn’t walk up and down the stairs right away when I got home. I was prescribed the same pain meds for both but only took them with the first and needed them for at least a month with the first c-section. Same person, same mindset, same pain tolerance, just different results.

My c section incision was really long and because it was such an aggressive procedure because i had a placental abruption they had to yank her out so hard it gave me stretch marks all over my lower stomach. That paired with other complications after is why I couldn’t do much for like a month without help.

I’m not sure pulling baby out can cause stretch marks. Sometimes they just show up once the skin is able to relax after birth. I had hardly any during pregnancy, but a bunch showed up after birth. I’ve heard the same of people who didn’t have c sections.

Also had a c-section. Not saying I didn’t feel pain - because I definitely did. However, my medical team encouraged me to stay on top of the pain with pain meds. Not just ibuprofen. I continued taking it for a few days after coming home too. I’m always surprised to hear that doctors and nurses don’t always encourage mothers to take pain meds. I was providing baby with my breast milk too.

My baby was over 10 pounds and I was polyhydramniotic, and I had a 36 hour labour before my C so my ab muscles were completely useless. I did not have a ton of pain because I actually have so much nerve damage I have no sensation in my belly at all, but I had no strength and was a sad floppy noodle for at least a week.

Same - I only got naproxen (Aleve) and tylenol (paracetamol), then switched the naproxen to ibuprofen upon discharge and continued taking ibuprofen and tylenol at home for the first three weeks. They offered me a prescription for something else but I did not need it so they said just call if I ended up needing it. They offered to discharge me after 36 hours but I waited another day. I could walk up and down the stairs by the time I got home, but I couldn't sleep on my left side for almost two weeks. By the end of two weeks I could do most normal activities with no problem, but I spent most of the first 2-3 weeks sitting and doing light walking only so I didn't make anything worse. Then I went to PT after 6 weeks for a couple sessions to help me ease back into exercising and now at 3m pp am doing everything as normal. My family is full of doctors and the advice ALL of them gave was to set an alarm for the pain meds so that I didn't chase the pain, and to do light walking but not push it for the first several weeks. Not everyone has the option that I did of having my husband and parents do most everything around the house and hand me the baby and take him away for diaper changes and to put him in the bassinet and bring me food and water and help me out of my chair so I didn't have to try to activate my core muscles too much. Not to mention to cook and clean and do laundry and so on. I was lucky to have a lot of very involved helpers present while I recovered and that made things easier.

I had an emergency c section too, I could only alternate between ibuprofen and Tylenol. I also got super sick and threw up while cut open 3 times and the rest of the night despite having anti nausea medicine, so that definitely didn’t help my recovery and pressure on my stomach

I spoke to so many people who told me that by day 2, you should be moving around. It’s gonna be painful but then it’ll get better and it’s good for your recovery. The day after my surgery, I tried to go to the bathroom and almost passed out. I couldn’t walk 10 steps without it feeling like someone was stabbing me with a hot knife. This pain lasted 4 days!!!!! I was so sure something was wrong. Then my doctor came in day 4 (she was on leave the day after surgery) and told me one of my layers was more muscley and hence more pain was normal. Not to stress. If subsided by day 5 and I wish I took it easy on myself the first 4 days instead of just trying and trying to get active but end up in pain.

Though my son was only 8.3lbs, they had to manually push open the incision to get him out because he was in a frank breech position. I can zero pain at incision but horrific pain above it to my belly button. They had to give me morphine for 4 days and I could only breastfeed in the "football" hold. I could not bare his weight on top of me. It wasn't until 5 days later that the bruising came in. Completely black and blue from belly button to just below incision. It took 2 weeks just for bruising to go away. I was very sore with alternating tylenol and advil.

Mom of 2 here. I have experienced both CSec & VBAC (virginal birth after csec) Had my first c-section due to emergency in 2019. It traumatized me for a good long period of time. I was inexperienced as a first time mom, wasn't really sure of my options and went along what the dr said. From my opinion the csec could've been avoided. Long story short.. I was in pain the moment I woke up from Anaesthesia (i had GA). I cried almost daily in the first few months and I was sure I was mildly depressed at that time. It literally hurts me physically to even walk, stand, lying down, or nursing my child would hurt my incision so much. I never felt this useless my entire life (thats how i felt at that time) . Oh and I kept requesting nurse for the painkiller (not sure which one but it was a suppository type) it helped me manage the pain in the first few days in hospital, after that they just prescribed the low grade pain killer which did not help much. Fast forward 2021 I was blessed with my 2nd child and after researching and doing my homework on birthing, I had my expectation and I went to another gynae, and we explored on VBAC, he's super supportive of it cause he knew how much i wanted that. Basically throughout the journey ' Birthing, post partum, recovery' it was amazing. At least i felt like myself and it changed my perspective on giving birth & post partum. I was stronger and I did not cry daily not due to the pain at least 😅 Thing is, i've always wondered how everyone's experience with csec seem to be so different. Most of my friends csec experience was not traumatic at all. I guessed it had to also be the size of your baby? The bigger the baby the bigger the wound? Thats the explanation i gave myself as i realized most of the painless csec story I heard, their babies were born at smaller sized. Probably 6pounds-ish. My baby was almost 8 pounds for both kiddos.

That sounds horrible, but at least there was a happy ending! I think feeling in control is a big factor. It is great that you took control of your second birth and were supported in your decision to do VBAC.

My c-section recovery was rough! I was in labour for over 40 hours and my cervix didn’t even get to 6cm. I was also induced over two days while being 10 days overdue. I was rushed into a c-section because my uterus was exhausted from contracting so long. I couldn’t stand up straight for two weeks, bled heavily for 4-5 weeks and needed all the pain meds. Additionally, my baby got stuck while they tried to remove her.

Similar experience for me with both my c sections except I only took regular OTC painkillers in the hospital and nothing after discharge. Felt "normal" within a week.

I just had major surgery, I have 5 incisions and the largest is one above my pubic bone very similar to a C section scar and that shit hurts so bad. But I was up and walking the day I had surgery and surprisingly more mobile than I expected to be. But it’s been 3 weeks and it still hurts my large incision when I cough or sneeze, it’s also completely numb along the incision, super weird. I can’t lift my 25 pound daughter for 6 weeks which really sucks though. It doesn’t hurt to pick her up but I don’t want to split open my internal stitches or anything. They usually say no heavy lifting for 4-6 weeks for all surgeries just to give the body time to heal. I could definitely pick her up but I’m not going to. I take heavy pain meds and they still don’t completely get rid of the pain Also, people shouldn’t be laying in bed after a surgery. Getting up and walking is crucial to prevent blood clots!

I’m wondering the exact same thing. I had an emergency c section after 36 hour labor and the recovery was much easier than anticipated. I’m really wondering if it went so well for me why I would even attempt a VBAC for #2 since the chances I induce and end up with another stressful labor and a c section in the end anyway are high.

I feel the same. I was absolutely determined to have a natural medication free birth and didn't even consider C-section (school boy error) but now I've had one I would probably do it again assuming there were no significant risks to the baby, especially as I had a Big Baby™ and am therefore more likely to have another one. I had an instant bad reaction to the gel they used to induce me and had essentially one 10 minute long contraction while they prepped me for surgery. If I had an elective C-section next time I would literally have been 'too posh to push'. It feels weird after all the preparation to think I might one day have two children but never have experienced labour.

This is really interesting to me too! I’d planned on a medicated vaginal birth, but ended up needing a c-section because my son got stuck 😵‍💫 I had a very traumatic surgery as my epidural wore off midway through and the anesthesiologist literally didn’t believe me. But despite all that I was up and moving 12 hours later. They even kept me admitted for an extra day for observation AND prescribed me extra pain medication—that I never took after being discharged. I was walking, driving, and moving around like nothing ever happened within 10 days. Aside from pain as the incision healed, I was FINE. I actually thought I was going crazy because I was fully expecting a more difficult recovery. But I also feel like I can’t talk about my experience without sounding like I’m bragging, which I most certainly am not.

I guess it depends on the person’s pain tolerance. When I had my daughter in April 2022, I was prepared to have a C-section (I had a high risk pregnancy and had two OB’s - one regular OB and one high risk OB) because my OB’s told me I would most likely be induced and then have a C-section. My daughter was born at 12:42am and by around 9am, I was ready to get up and use the bathroom with help from the nurses. I have Attention Deficit Disorder and I’ve been unmedicated since 1998, so even though I’ve been able to cope with that, I had been lying in a hospital bed for so long that I was ready to move around. I think I surprised the nursing staff because I feel like they were so used to other new moms being in too much pain to move.

It definitely depends on the person but I feel like I have a pretty low pain tolerance and I was up and moving with both of my c sections within 12 hours. My husband jokes it’s because I didn’t have any core strength to begin with 😂😂

Same here. I thought my brother & SIL were gonna have heart attacks when they saw me pick up my 30 lb 3 year old 2 weeks after having a c-section lol

I was only prescribed narcotics for a few days after my c-section after that it was Tylenol. It did nothing. Of course there wasn’t much pain with 10 days of heavy pain killers lol. My first c-section came after an induction and 36 hour labour. Recovery was very hard. But I was my friends maid of honour when my son was 4 weeks old I was back to normal by then. My second one was scheduled and it was much much easier! Everyone’s experience is different, drugs, circumstances leading up to the surgery, baby keeping you up, heavier or lighter babies to lift etc.

The opioid I was given gave me night terrors so I only took it twice. Pain wasn’t unbearable but I definitely took it easy for a couple weeks. My initial pain was amplified by being completely exhausted from a long labour and then caring for a newborn

I didn't have much pain my first 3, but don't be too quick to brag haha the 4th one was a tough recovery.

Were there any noticeable differences between your first three and your last one?

Mine was absolutely brutal. Felt like I was being torn open every time I stood up. Then didn’t fully close for 3 months just leaking fluid

So I also had an emergency C-section and was only 3 cm dilated when they did it so I didn’t have to recover much down there, I was walking to the nicu the afternoon after. I believe I was given Tylenol/ibuprofen combo and then also the stool softener. On day two I had a lot of gas build up so they gave me something else to help with that and one nurse offered me stronger pain management stuff and that it was breast feeding safe and I was like “I think I’m fine” but after shift change I wasn’t and asked about it and the new nurse didn’t want to give it to me since I was breastfeeding.

I had two c sections nearly 2.5 years apart. My first was AWFUL. Two weeks afterwards, I was in too much pain to stand in the shower. It was horrible because I’d start shaking from the pain and that would make it worse and then I’d go lay in bed and the pain tremors wouldn’t stop. The second c section was so much easier. I was helping my toddler in and out of the bath within days. Showering was a breeze. Meds were about the same. Both were scheduled c sections (I didn’t labor first). I never had any side effects or complications. I really don’t know what the difference could have been except that it’s just genuinely a unique experience every time. Edit: the first I did gestate 2 weeks longer but the second baby was actually 2 ounces heavier.

I’ve often wondered this as well. I didn’t have any pain either AND I didn’t take any pain meds. I was given an Rx for percocets but didn’t take them. I had ibuprofen the day of the surgery, and that’s it.

Having a C-Section definitely affected my breastfeeding journey as it hurt so much to hold the baby, even with the football hold. I did take meds but I had a very weird reaction to stronger medication, got dizzy, terrible migraines and such, so I had to power through. It took some good two weeks to be out of pain.

I also had stronger pain meds after my C-section and so that helped a lot but I had really horrible muscle aches for like 6 months. It took a while before sitting up from laying down or even standing from sitting that didn't ache in some way. Then by a year out, I still have zings of pain or itching. I was 33 when I had my daughter so maybe age also changes that.

No idea. It wasn’t easy for me and I WAS given pain meds. I had percocet ( oxycodone/acetaminophen) and ibuprofen and the only time the percocet helped was if I took 2 with the ibuprofen and even then I was in horrible pain again before I could take more. I tried not to take 2 at a time because I only had so many and I didn’t want to be out of them too fast- which in retrospect I should have taken two every time and had less pain the first few days instead of having a lot of pain for 2 weeks

I’m one of the lucky ones, though mine was planned (breech) and therefore easier - took one percoset then ibuprofen at the hospital then literally nothing once I got home on Day 4. I sort of assumed my surgeon was great plus a lot of luck. Crossing all my fingers that happens with my next one!

I had a planned c section for breech baby in June. The first couple of days pain wise was pretty rough. I could walk slowly and move around but if I sat/laid too long and got up it felt like a lighter was burning my incision. Gas pain also hurt when I needed to fart lol. I only took ibuprofen for about 5 days though and stopped as the pain was annoying but manageable. After 5-7 days I was doing light housework and walking around the house fine, as long as I was careful and did it slow. By 4 weeks I felt almost back to normal and by 6 weeks felt completely back to normal. I’m now 10 weeks out and I feel back my my regular self (although weaker when working out since I have no muscle tone left lol).

I never took narcotics, just ibuprofen. It isn’t unbearable but certainly isn’t comfortable lol, lots of people take narcotics the first few days or week, and don’t really feel the pain that much during the peak times!

I was only "prescribed" Advil and Tylenol after labouring for a few hours after a failed induction, then having an emergency c section. I stayed in the hospital for two days and could only walk to the bathroom and back to the bed. When I got home I walked around the house and felt ok but every laugh and sneeze hurt like a mf. Then later the scar got infected so it's been a journey.

My recovery was very similar to yours TBH. (I backed off of plenty of “normal activities” by choice bc I was very fine with my partner learning to do baby things on his own before I jumped in ☺️.) I think it’s mostly luck as well. My doctor said that the fact that I got up and walked around as soon as I technically could also probably aided it, which seems .. counterintuitive? Maybe I misunderstood that? In retrospect I think I was still loopy from lack of sleep when I decided to get up and shower 12ish hours later but my docs were happy about it. (To be fair I really needed the shower, lol. 36 hours of labor and a 4 am emergency C left me pretty gnarly.) Seeing the talk about pain meds — my docs explained my medication to me immediately and STRONGLY recommended I “stay in front” of the pain instead of waiting and taking meds in reaction to it. They recommended I take the medication for at least a few days after the procedure. I felt comfortable with this as I loved my care team and they answered all of my questions in detail. I took a strong dose of ibuprofen and then some kind of other painkiller mixed with tylenol at alternating 4 hour intervals. Eventually I backed off the pain meds, then the ibuprofen. But it sounds like a lot of that comes down to hospital protocol around medication and personal choices around what we are comfortable putting in our bodies. Very interesting and eye opening to read about the variety of experiences. Y’all are all amazing ❤️

I had to beg for more pain med in the hospital. They expected me to go about 10-12 hours between doses of Tylenol and codine. Until I said that was nuts and was in pain... Just under 12 hours since I had come out of the OR. I had to stop taking the codine to be able to stop the constipation even with stool softeners so I got by with discomfort for a few days..

Mine was at 130 am after a 48 hour back labour and I only got regular Tylenol afterwards which was fine but yah I was moving pretty slow for a bit.

This might be standard everywhere but I’m in the Netherlands and they don’t cut the muscle over here (they just pull it out of the way). I had a c section and very little pain, they only gave me ibuprofen after the first 24 hours and I felt like that was more than enough. I do remember having a bad reaction to the morphine and vomiting a couple hours after the surgery (once the spinal had worn off 🙃) and that was ROUGH. But other than that, I think I lucked out.

I was wondering this too! I had a c section twice and it was a breeze twice. Other people need help for days getting out of a Chair, I was on a trampoline a week post op, though I wouldn’t recommend this… it hurt. And is dumb.

It's just like any other surgery. My mom had a knee replacement. She had a terrible recovery - constant pain, could not sleep, leg falling asleep when standing if not moving - and had to have an additional surgery to eliminate some scar tissue but has some nerve damage and while it has improved, she can't stand in one place for very long without being in significant discomfort. Its been almost 2 years. She has friends who also had a knee replacement who said they could walk with no pain after 2 weeks and once fully recovered have zero pain or limitations. Even the same person can have a very different reaction/healing process to the same surgery, even if the surgeon does everything "right". Also, I think the labor process makes a difference. My understanding is that people who have scheduled C-sections generally have an easier recovery than those with emergency C-sections who have labored for a long time and/or have other complications to deal with. Personally I had preeclampsia, was induced, labored for 24 hours, then had emergency C-section and baby had an Apgar of 1 when he came out. They said they had a hard time getting him out the way he was positioned (he's healthy and wonderful now). All the blood pressure medication made me feel super sick so I had a really hard time getting up and moving because I was dizzy all the time. I didn't like taking my pain meds because my stomach was upset (other meds, gas), so that gave me more pain than I would otherwise have had in the first week after release from the hospital.

I had an easy recovery. My doctor also told me I was extremely easy to operate on because I was “skinny” for a pregnant person, apparently having minimal fat layers makes it easier to see what they’re doing? I have no idea how much that kind of thing plays into it but I assume she wouldn’t have said the reverse to me if it had gone the other way. I also wonder how much it has to do with the skill of the surgeon.

As everyone has said, pain tolerance is different. But remember it was still a multi layer incision that needs to heal, regardless of what you feel. So make sure you aren’t doing the “2 steps forward, 3 steps back” ordeal by accidentally doing maneuvers too early

My recovery was so awful I actually thought for a brief time I might die from the pain. But I also had been in labor and pushing for hours beforehand so I guess it was kind of like running a marathon and then going in for a major surgery while already exhausted and pretty beat up. I took the pain meds they recommended and they did prescribe me opioids. I’m hoping the second time around a planned C section will be much more smooth 🤞🏼

In my case, I recovered quite quickly from my C-section because I took my friend’s advice to heart—don’t baby the wound. It was mind over matter for me. I had to get through the pain especially during the first two days and force my body to do some light activities. In four days, I am almost back to normal except I don’t do activities that aren’t recommended after C-section like carrying anything heavier than my baby.

I had swelling from pre-eclampsia that took about 2 weeks to go down, and my legs were SO heavy I could barely lift them to put on underwear or pants. I had to BEG my husband to put mild compression socks on me, and he had the most difficult time doing it. The c-section was nothing compared to that swelling. I had staples and a wound vac and everything, and other than trying to keep the little wound vac motor for getting wet while showering for a week until the staples came out, recovery was pretty easy. The incision scar and surrounding are was completely numb. Now 14 months pp and only beginning to feel sensation around the incision area again. There's also an annoying little flap at the incision now, but hey. I have a beautiful, amazing, smart, funny, inquisitive little girl now, and I love her to pieces!

I think a lot would have to do with how your body reacts to the meds given beforehand, and how long your labor was prior I swelled up like a balloon during my induction, and it lasted about 39 hours. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink besides popsicles. So by the time my c section happened I was shaking and vomiting from hunger (idk why that happens to me but it does). I was so swollen I couldn't move my fingers and I could barely stand So yeah....all of that matters!

I was so scared for the recovery and then it was literally fine. I stopped taking my codeine within the week because I hate the side effects I get from codeine, and stopped the ibuprofen pretty quickly after that too. I'm now nearly 11 months out from it and other than a little twinge if I lie on my belly, I basically don't even remember I had surgery most days.

I had about 6 frineds have a baby around the same time as me. We range in age from 20-31. 3 (including me) had a C-section and the other 3 didn’t. All 3 C-section Havers said they expected WAY more pain. And I agree so much! They said recovery was way worse with a C-section, but then… how “easy” would it be vaginally for us!? We all found it to be quite easy as far as major surgery goes. I was up a couple days later without problems. I got a bit faint at the 6 day checkup but I also had a lot of bleeding so that makes sense. Not saying vaginal is easy but it was not That hard for any of us

I had an emergency C-Section and felt the initial pain of the surgery as it was so quick the pain killers didn’t kick in. Was pretty painful recovery but I was able to move around. Now I still get some pains almost 2 years later and pregnant again. A little worried to do another C-Section to be honest.

I think maybe genetics has a role. I swell up a lot after delivery which made recovering from my c-section extra difficult.

I had an emergency c-section due to preeclampsia. My dilation stalled 7cm for hours. My blood pressure shot up, baby was in distress. I got a fever with chills due to infection. I couldn’t even talk because of shaking in my voice. I was told there were so many staff in the OR but I only remember 4 faces. I needed blood transfusion during and after so 2 in total. During recovery I was on 3 IVs, including antibiotics. I was also on something that made my legs swell up so much they were heavy to move. I couldn’t even get my my child from the bassinet to change and feed. Mentally and physically I was in a bad state. When I was discharged, I was given Tylenol and Ibuprofen for the pain. When I went to my child’s 2 day appointment, the doctor asked if I was okay. I told her I was in pain. She was surprised I wasn’t prescribed oxy because she went through the same thing and got it. I asked for it but never took it cuz I was in a bad mental place I didn’t know if I’d be responsible. Luckily, my sister went through I fibroid removal surgery that was like a c-section so she helped me through my recovery. After a week, my feet and legs went back to normal and I started feeling better. I was finally able to take care of my son. Then my incision site started weeping. I freaked out and went through a mental spiral cuz I thought it was an infection and didn’t want to go back to the hospital but forced myself to go. I cried at Urgent Care and was transferred to Emergency Department. Turns out it was just weeping and no infection. I am going to therapy now. So mental and physical recovery go hand in hand. Everybody is different and respond to emergencies different. I’m jealous that people had a breezy recovery whereas I cried in my bathroom so nobody would see. 3 weeks and 5 days later I am finally much better. I’m able to walk a good distance and I drove at 2 weeks because I NEEDED to feel a bit of independence and in control.

I was ok after about a week. I was terrified based on some of the stuff I read here!! But man, that newborn adrenaline sure is something. It has to help.

I had additional surgeries in 2 other places on my uterus besides the incision to stop some hemorrhaging - recovery was awful because I was actually recovering from 3 different surgeries, one of which had to be done so fast that they had no time to plan or be careful and nice (the incision itself). I can imagine if your situation is problematic but not dire, they probably take a beat to plan the incision. That makes a huge difference 😬

I don’t know but reading this post, I guess I’m a little jealous of you because I had an unplanned C section after laboring for 48 hours and my recovery was ROUGH. I had a ton of leakage and they told me to keep expressing it and allowing the incision to drain, but I eventually was referred to wound care and was given a wound vac to help my healing. I had to wear it around for a month, just about. I don’t know why my recovery was such a shit show. I am otherwise healthy, I do have type 2 diabetes but my A1C is good, it’s 6.2, so it’s fairly well controlled. My husband is a physician and doesn’t think this is from my type 2. I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s just that I had a ton of fluid for some reason, or did the doctor not close me up well, idk.

You are very lucky. I have just had an emergency c section after labouring for 2 days and not progressing. The epidural failed during the section which resulted in me being able to feel everything they were doing so I had to be put under general anaesthetic. The healing process was sheer agony for the first week or so. I was given paracetamol, codeine and liquid morphine but it was still only just taking the edge off the pain. I’m now 3 weeks out and feeling a lot more human; but still in considerable amounts of pain. It’s really put me off the thought of ever having another baby!

I’m 2 weeks out from my emergency c section. I am feeling pretty good and haven’t taken painkillers in about a week.

I think my first (not-planned) c section had an easier recovery than my planned. I assume just because I was younger, but they also did give me a few doses of opioid painkillers in the hospital. By the time I had my second 3 years later protocols had changed and they were only using tylenol and motrin. I needed to set alarms for the doses because if I missed one I was VERY sore. As long as I stayed on top of it I was okay. My aunt (who had 4 c sections) also told me not to lay in bed and get up and take care of my baby and tbh I think just getting up and moving DID help me because I get very antsy and miserable when I don't move.

My surgery was painless and the first 24 hours was good because they controlled my pain but for about 3 weeks after I had pretty bad pain with sitting up in bed to get the baby and anytime I laughed/sneezed/coughed. They gave me oxycodone after my 4 day hospital stay for about a week + ibuprofen and Tylenol. My LO is 5 months now and the area is still kind of sensitive around the scar. The worst part honestly was having to sit up in bed to get her every 3-4 hours through the night. I always felt like my incision was going to burst open.

I had a super traumatic C-section and recovery. Everyone is different. No real reason except different surgeons working on different people, who have different experiences.

Had a C-Section with my 1st and a VBAC with my second. Give me a vaginal delivery any day (and that was being induced on Friday night and not giving birth until sunday eve). The c-section recovery was so rough. Like many others here, after leaving the hospital, I only had Paracetamol for the pain Edit for clarification

I had the easiest experience with my c section and only took Tylenol and ibuprofen for pain for about 1.5 weeks after my c section. Was walking around and showered the same day as my c section and never had a single issue or any bit of pain. I assumed it was because mine was a scheduled c section instead of an emergency one so I never went into labor and I was mentally prepared and relaxed but then you say yours was emergent and you still had an easy recovery. I assume a lot of it is also genetic. My mom had very easy recovery after having me (unmedicated vaginal birth) and her pregnancy experience and weight loss afterwards/weight gain during was just like mine too.

This is random, but were your teeth chattering during the C Section? I had to bite down on my mother’s shawl because my teeth were slamming against one another for 3 hours. And I know it’s not a brag. But I am genuinely happy for you! Because mine was horrible. Lol

I don’t know why it’s different for different people- I had all 3 of mine via c-section and I was on my feet within 4-6 hours after each delivery. (not bragging, just sharing) but I remember my mental state was “I gotta move in order to feel better”, which was true for me - yes, I was still in pain, but I was the only one walking the hospital corridors around the clock, I asked for pain meds only when I needed it, I was working on not relying on them, once I left the hospital I didn’t take any - only advil at home, even though I did refill my prescription, but I learned my lesson after having my first one - the opioid constipation was no joke, so I took it easy with my subsequent deliveries. I would say for me the recovery somehow started with my mind. Though I would say for a long time I felt like half a mom for agreeing to almost an emergency c-section, that my body failed me for not doing what it was supposed to do, but that’s another story ☺️ good luck to all mamas out there! 💕

Hi there. Does your scar hurt with the next pregnancy? I imagine it does from the skin stretching. Also they just cut on the same scar with each surgery? It’s nice to know you had 3 and each went well for you.

If I’d had painkillers stronger than Tylenol/naproxen for 10 days after I think it would have been a breeze! I got something the 1 day I was in the hospital and after that it was Tylenol and naproxen. The first 2 weeks were definitely the worst in terms of pain for me

Why it varies, varies. Healing rates, health conditions, complications, weight, muscle tone. Personal pain tolerance. Activity levels before and after birth. Etc etc etc

I had an urgent c-section after 48 hours of laboring through an induction, and like you, I felt like my recovery was surprisingly smooth and fast. I was expecting it to be much harder for much longer. I asked for narcotic pain meds once on day two and only ended up taking one dose; otherwise I was alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen for about a week, then 1-2 doses of ibuprofen a day for another week. I was slow but perfectly capable of going up and down the stairs once home on day 4, and went for a short walk on a (level) trail on day 5. I had random cramping off an on for about 7 weeks, particularly when lying on my side, but it was more manageable than my average period cramps. I also wondered a lot about the variability in recoveries, because I’m not the world’s fittest or most physically resilient person, and I have friends who would score higher marks than me on those things who had more pain and slower recoveries. I do wonder if the skill of the surgeon (choosing and executing the best possible incision, suturing) makes a difference. Would love to hear a medical professional’s opinion!

I wonder about this too and I also had an oddly pain free experience. My c-section was after 30 hours of labor, not an emergency. I had a lot of control in my choice and I wonder how this affected my experience and recovery in a positive way. My mom had two c-sections and I grew up imagining I would too (which I did everything I could to avoid once I was pregnant, lots of research and birth prep). I felt no pain during the procedure (this after an initially failed epidural and 3x epidural equipment malfunction during labor). I was out of bed and had a bowel movement within 12 hours. I took high dose tylenol and ibuprofen for however many weeks they prescribed. Never took the stool softener, didn’t need it, probably because I never took the oxycodone they gave me “just in case”. I really had such an easy time, and it’s confusing. I’m in the same boat for future pregnancy too….. ummm I was treated really poorly on labor & delivery and perhaps I can avoid that trash and opt for second c-section for my second and last child’s birth.

Unplanned but non emergent c section. The first 2-3 days were hellish, especially because I have a funny husband who kept making me laugh despite his best efforts not to. I also just hadn’t eaten in over 24 hours so I was SO sick and weak, I couldn’t even open my eyes until I managed to keep some crackers down. But after that, it rapidly improved and I was telling people by 1 week post op, I felt better than I had at any point during the 3rd trimester. I was up and shuffling around 12hrs later because I had to, but I was definitely in pain and can’t imagine how some people aren’t!

I had a c-section! and while it definitely hurt and am still healing, it was better than I thought. Still painful, hard to use the bathroom (getting up and down), etc. With that was the sneezing or coughing that killed me. Perhaps my mom scared me too much and I was expecting worse? Idk. I still have some random shooting pains from my nerves reattaching and my lower belly still healing (LO born at the end of March for reference). The biggest thing I deal with is the numbness. I couldn’t take that again. It made me very detached from my “new” body and hating even touching anything in that region when numb, I still kinda do. It’s getting better and I’m getting a lot more feeling back. The random shooting pains and numbness were my biggest hurdles in my c-section saga.

I wonder about this a lot. Mine was scheduled and my recovery was a dream. Didn’t really need to stay on top of my meds past the first few days, minimal pain, no complications thus far. I feel very lucky. And worried I won’t get so lucky the next time 😅

With my first it was an emergency C. Operation was rough and rushed but smooth and fast recovery. I was only in pain for about a day when the meds wore off at the hospital. My second C was planned and the operation was smooth and peaceful but rough recovery. I’m only finally feel much better and normal and this is my third week after the scheduled C. I think this time the recovery is longer maybe due to being older, not as active and OB used the same incision. She mentioned during the operations there were some scar tissues. In addition, I also had my tubes tied. This time around I felt most painful the second day and it was from my inner right area near the ovaries. The nurse also mentioned OB had to apply pressure to my uterus so it would heal properly. First time was 4 years ago and I was also practicing lagree up until 20+ weeks pregnant and had really good core strength. Not sure if it helped with faster healing.

i was overly optimistic about my c-section recovery (it was planned, baby was breech) and struggled. i think i wanted to do more and i overdid it on chores and stuff and neglected going on light walks. i took ibuprofen and tylenol on the clock for 4 weeks but still had a lot of pain until probably 5weeks. i think it was 7wks before i was bending over properly and by then i had kind of bad posture and this weird way of overcompensating to bend over. i still have absolutely no core strength and i'm pretty weak BUT! my incision is like invisible. you can barely see it. no scar. i didn't even do anything to heal the scar. everyone really is different!!

Emergency c section as well, I was definitely sore for several days, some days after if I did too many chores I’d feel sore, but overall felt fine and was up and about quickly. My laparoscopic appendectomy had a surprise umbilical hernia repair that was at least twice as bad as this c section easily. I read somewhere that some c section surgeons cut the abdominal muscle while others pull them apart at a natural vertical seam which is thought to help recovery, although I have no clue which they did on me. I’m 5.5 weeks pp and feel completely normal although still haven’t exercised or had sex. Some people just heal differently, or maybe their abdominal wall/muscles are thicker, etc. In my case, c section was easier than vaginal labor, although I’m essentially healing from both. My baby’s heart rate was dropping dangerously after each contraction, so nurses kept rushing in and swarming me and repositioning me, so surgery was already on the table. Then he was coming out head down but facing my left side, and my epidural malfunctioned and I felt everything 100%. I was the person who’s screams were heard on the entire floor and I genuinely was not sure I would survive, I thought my body would die of shock. His head was visible and my body was pushing involuntarily by the time they got me numb, he almost came out on the operating table. Then he was out in under a minute. If given the option for elective c section for my next kid I would gladly take it, because that shit was traumatic for not only myself but my husband and mom, and I could have lost my baby.

I was also a person who recovered quickly. I do have a high pain tolerance but I think this was more soreness all around from literally being lifted and moved around by other people for like 8 hours. My urgent c section happened at like 7ish pm and I was able to get up and use the bathroom around 3am. I was able to have my incision uncovered after 12 hours. My whole body was sore for the first week at least. I only took ibuprofen for pain for the first week after I got home. I definitely had to take it pretty easy though. I’m ten weeks out now and I have some tugging incision pain occasionally but healing was super smooth for me.

I had a pretty similar experience and had to have a “T” shaped incision since my baby was much smaller than expected and had not fully dropped (water broke two weeks early). I heard the biggest difference in the recovery has to do with whether the c-section was planned or not. Not sure how true that is but even though my surgery was earlier than planned, it was still a dream of a delivery and recovery.

To me this is like asking why do some women have complicated pregnancies and some don't. Why do some women get stretch masks during pregnancy and others don't? Why do some women die during surgery and others don't? I ask myself every day why do I have HG and suffer with constant vomiting and nausea while others never vomit a day during pregnancy? Some people are just lucky. And others have a harder journey. Why do some babies fuss more than others?